The present invention relates generally to hitch-mountable recreational equipment racks having a locking post for securing the rack within a vehicle hitch receiver, and more particularly to devices and methods for preventing accidental or intentional withdrawal of the locking post from its locking position.
Many recreational equipment racks can be mounted to a vehicle by securing the rack to a socket-like hitch receiver provided on the rear of the vehicle. These racks typically include a hitch attachment member, or tongue, that is inserted into the hitch receiver. The tongue and sidewalls of the hitch receiver include holes that are aligned when the tongue is fully inserted into the hitch receiver. Typically, an elongate locking post is transversely passed through these holes to hold the rack tongue in place and prevent it from pulling out of the hitch receiver.
Various devices and methods exist for preventing the locking post from moving out of its inserted position, as can happen as a result of vibration during transit. Other devices guard against not only accidental removal of the post, but also prevent theft or other intentional removal by locking the post in place. However, certain designs may fail or may be easily damaged by attempts to remove the locking post from its inserted position.
A recreational equipment rack system includes an equipment rack for mounting on a vehicle. The equipment rack includes a rack tongue configured to be inserted into and secured within a hitch receiver provided on the vehicle. A fastening mechanism is provided to tightly secure the rack tongue to the hitch receiver. The fastening mechanism includes a bolt having a bolt head and a bolt post extending from the head for extending through transverse holes in the hitch receiver. The bolt post includes a threaded length and an unthreaded length. A nut assembly including a nut configured to engage the threaded length of the bolt enables selective clamping and releasing of the rack tongue with the hitch receiver. A removable lock is provided at the distal end portion of the bolt post. The threaded length on the bolt is limited so that the threaded length disengages the nut before the lock contacts the external wall of the hitch receiver.